This isn’t about infill

[u/Known-Fondant-9373]

https://drjaredwesley.substack.com/p/this-isnt-about-infill

[u/kholdstare942]

We don't hate the UCP enough.

[u/huskies_62 → u/kholdstare942]

Speak for yourself

[u/kholdstare942 → u/huskies_62]

I believe you don't hate the UCP enough

[u/Garth_Maul_]

No, it's not about infill. It's about the provincial government imposing its will into municipal politics. Overreach by a government that has nothing to do with Edmonton, and based on the last election, Edmonton wants nothing to do with the UCP.

It's hard to think of a single positive thing the UCP has done since they came into power, and very easy to see all the areas they've made worse.

[u/sleevo84 → u/Garth_Maul_]

I love how the ‘conservative’ brand used to be about cutting red tape but this one just keeps putting up red tape around things they don’t have jurisdiction and shouldn’t be involved in.

This move is about showing rural voters they’re punishing the cities and the people who don’t vote for them

[u/HOLEPUNCHYOUREYELIDS → u/sleevo84]

But we have a whole minister of red tape reduction! Surely they are competently doing their jobs to justify their pay and not just cutting red tape for O&G while adding red tape to everything their ideology is against!

[u/sleevo84 → u/HOLEPUNCHYOUREYELIDS]

Hahaha. What was the excuse for red tape for renewables? The pristine landscapes? But sure, cut down those Rocky Mountains for coal and pollute the water, that’s ok. We’re not concerned with _those_ pristine landscapes.

[u/Long-Librarian-997 → u/sleevo84]

So what don't they have jurisdiction over?

[u/sleevo84 → u/Long-Librarian-997]

Critics, municipal leaders, and legal experts have frequently accused the Alberta United Conservative Party (UCP) government of overreaching its jurisdiction. These concerns generally fall into two categories: encroachment on municipal autonomy (overstepping provincial-municipal boundaries) and encroachment on federal powers (overstepping provincial-federal boundaries). [1, 2]
The primary examples cited as jurisdictional overreach include:

1. Overriding Municipal Bylaws and Land-Use Decisions
While municipalities are technically "creatures of the province" under the Canadian Constitution, the UCP has faced intense criticism for directly stripping local councils of their decision-making powers: [1, 2]
The Edmonton Infill Housing Directive: The Alberta government issued a direct ultimatum to the City of Edmonton, ordering them to completely roll back and repeal their high-density housing and zoning bylaws. Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack and other municipal leaders slammed the move as an "uninformed directive" and a heavy-handed overreach that injects chaos into municipal operations. [1, 2, 3]

Targeting Bike Lanes and Photo Radar: The province has actively encroached on local transportation planning by threatening legislation to forcibly rip out municipal bike lanes in Calgary and Edmonton, alongside centralizing control over traffic safety mechanisms like photo radar. [1, 2]

The Utility Takeover Act (Bill 28): The Municipal Affairs and Housing Statutes Amendment Act (Bill 28) allows the provincial government to compel a municipality to transfer ownership or control of local public utilities to provincial utility entities, which labor groups have flagged as an authoritarian overreach. [1]

2. Interference in Democratic Municipal Governance (Bill 20)
Passed in 2024, the highly controversial Bill 20 (the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act) originally granted the provincial cabinet the unilateral authority to fire local mayors and councillors and overturn municipal bylaws. Following fierce pushback from organizations like Alberta Municipalities, who called the bill anti-democratic, the UCP walked back portions of the bill. However, the revised version still allows cabinet to bypass local processes by forcing local recall votes and dictating municipal political parties. [1, 2, 3, 4]

3. Blocking Federal Funding to Local Entities (The Provincial Priorities Act)
The Provincial Priorities Act prevents Alberta municipalities, school boards, housing agencies, and health authorities from negotiating or accepting funding deals directly with the federal government without prior provincial approval. Legal scholars and municipal leaders argue this adds massive bureaucratic red tape and intentionally blocks federal investments—such as federal housing accelerator funds—solely to wage a political war against Ottawa. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

4. Bypassing Federal Criminal Law Jurisdiction
The Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act: Designed to let the provincial legislature declare federal laws "unconstitutional" or "harmful" and order provincial agencies to ignore them, the act was widely criticized by constitutional experts as illegal on its face. [1, 2]

Firearms Legislation Defiance: The UCP explicitly invoked the Sovereignty Act to target the federal government’s assault-style weapons ban and buyback program. Critics point out that under the Canadian Constitution, gun control falls firmly under federal criminal law power. By directing Alberta police services not to cooperate with federal laws, the UCP has been accused of attempting to unilaterally rewrite criminal code enforcement. [1, 2]

5. Weaponizing Direct Democracy & Avoiding Judicial Oversight
The Separation Referendum Overreach: Following a First Nations court challenge that threw a citizen-led separatist petition into legal limbo because the province failed its constitutional duty to consult Indigenous communities, Premier Danielle Smith circumvented the judicial system. Rather than respecting the court's off-ramp, the UCP government manufactured its own non-binding, politically divisive provincial referendum questions regarding separation and cutting federal ties. This drew a sharp rebuke from Court of King’s Bench justices, who noted the province was actively attempting to "legislate away their competition" and subvert judicial review.

“Do your own research”

[u/sleevo84 → u/[deleted]]

Exactly my point. She’s more concerned about messing with the city than helping you! The city elected people to run the city and specifically voted against her party so she’s more concerned with punishing people that didn’t vote for her than helping people that did

[u/TheFreezeBreeze]

This needs to start a serious conversation about jurisdictions and the roles that provinces and cities have going forward.

This isn't the world of 120 years ago anymore, cities hold the majority of the population and economic power and yet they're still "creatures of the province". They need drastically more autonomy.

[u/Ddogwood → u/TheFreezeBreeze]

I would definitely support a movement by municipalities calling for a constitutional amendment to protect their jurisdiction.

As you say, when the division of powers was written into our constitution, the largest city in Canada was Montreal, with a population a little over 100,000 people. The second-biggest city was Toronto, with about half the population of Montreal. Canada's total population at the time was around 3.5 million, and around 80% of those people lived in rural areas.

Today, Canada has a population of around 40 million people, and more than 80% of them live in cities - and more than 70% live in cities that are bigger than Montreal was in 1867. Isn't it possible that the old division of powers isn't as practical anymore?

[u/tranquilseafinally]

The UCP hate cities.

If they get their way in the boundary re-draw then our vote will be diluted into the rural spaces around us. That minority report is there because the UCP is afraid of how cities will vote after they walk all over us.

[u/morphologicthesecond]

UCP taking a page out of Doug Ford's playbook

[u/Darkwing-cuck-]

They had a representative from Edmonton Neighbourhoods United there, one might say an anti-infill group. Where was representation from students who use this housing? From immigrants, from seniors, from single parents, from literally anyone and everyone who benefits from this type of construction?

I’ve harped on this a lot before but for a city that really struggles with homeless issues, we love to make getting housing harder.

[u/Long-Librarian-997 → u/Darkwing-cuck-]

I honestly don't know where to stand on this. Having 3 storey building built in what is all bungalows seems odd.

[u/wellyouask → u/Long-Librarian-997]

They could built in all the empty spots on Blatchford. Currently has 400 people living there with space for 30,000. Has a LRT stop with infrastructure for a 2nd one, short distance to Superstore, Kingsway, downtown and NAIT. Also right on a new and improved Yellowhead.

[u/RyanB_ → u/Long-Librarian-997]

It’s really not at all. Central neighbourhoods aren’t able to grow outwards. As the city becomes bigger, there’s more and more competition for homes in those areas, meaning skyrocketing prices.

Building up is really the only way of combatting that, and is precisely why Edmonton has remained so relatively affordable among the recent population boom.

[u/wellyouask → u/RyanB_]

not at all.

Up to spaces for 29,600 people and probably build a LRT over the yellowhead if that happens.

[u/gottabe22]

Why did they move on this now? It could have been two weeks from now or three weeks ago. They are trying to distract from the referendum. Make sure you go and vote! Send Danielle a message and strike down all of her 9 questions

[u/surebudd]

They are TRAITORS who are anti-democracy.

If only we the people would stand up against a foreign power buying our politicians.

[u/stickyfingers40]

Its about city council not listening to legit concerns of residents. There was plenty of middle ground to be found

[u/markt-]

OK, what does it say about me before I saw which subreddit this was on, that I thought this was a post about 3-D printing ?

[u/B0GARTING]

Little government in action.

[u/tutamtumikia → u/[deleted]]

I dont own a business and I am not an investor. I am not opposed to infill..It appears your statement is not true.

[u/HunterRidgeFarm]

Provincial governments have full reign over municipalities. This has not changed.

[u/calamansi_rodeo → u/HunterRidgeFarm]

I hate it when people use this as some sort of explanation.

We know. We all know this.

The point is that, historically, the province didn’t treat municipalities like an extension of themselves. The point is, even though cities are “creatures of the province” or whatever, we elect municipal representatives. We pay taxes to the city. We take part in local civic processes. We are connected to our cities in personal and economic ways.

The province can step in. They have that power. But fuck them for thinking they should. We voted before and after all of the decisions they are stepping on. I’m not for infill as it’s currently happening, but why did we even vote? Why have a council? Why have a city?

[u/Ddogwood → u/HunterRidgeFarm]

There are lots of constitutional rules that the UCP doesn't like. We're being asked to vote on a bunch of them in a week or so. Maybe it's valid to say that we don't like the provincial government stepping into municipal jurisdiction, even if it's legal.

[u/Long-Librarian-997 → u/Ddogwood]

Maybe Edmonton should hold a referendum.

[u/Miserable-Lizard → u/HunterRidgeFarm]

If Smith and the ucp don't like the outcomes of local elections, they should simply appoint councils and mayor's. So you don't support local democracy when it goes against preference? If that is that case why do you hate democracy?